Introducing the Series Producers Part 2 - FreePint Topic Series "News, and Other Commodities"
Jinfo Blog

By Robin Neidorf

Abstract

The FreePint Topic Series "News, and Other Commodities" launched this month, with a team of five co-producers to tackle the extensive question of how to make a judgement on "value" when applied to news, basic company information, basic "people" information and the like. We previously asked three of the co-producers what their background and experience will bring to the Series and now we interview the other two co-producers.

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The FreePint Topic Series "News, and Other Commodities" launched this month.

Each year we tackle a different aspect of news in a quarterly focus. This year we're turning our focus on those news products which are essential and yet seem hard to differentiate between. We're aiming to shed light on how you can make a judgement on "value" when applied to news, basic company information, basic "people" information and the like.

In an earlier blog item we explained how we've asked five subject experts to work with us as co-producers to bring their unique insights and experience and we introduced three of those co-producers. In this blog we ask the remaining two co-producers about their background and what they think the Series will offer information professionals.

FreePint: What's your background?

Chris Porter (expert in company information): Over the years I've been in roles touching on just about every aspect of the information value chain - journalism, database creation, content licensing, product management, taxonomy management, marketing, front-line revenue generation... I now work as a consultant and researcher, specialising in commentary and analysis on the information industry.

As, if you like, a gamekeeper turned poacher - a former creator and manager of information products, but now a consumer and transformer of information myself - I have a very direct perspective on when a service vendor is adding value to the research workflow and when they are not.

Shimrit Janes (expert in collaborative technologies): My particular area of interest is in how organisations can internally make use of new technologies to connect their people and encourage the flow of knowledge, with a special focus on social technologies. The key word there is, of course, "support".

Technology only gets you so far, and facets such as process, people, culture, and strategy are the missing ingredients that often get overlooked, and that organisations need real help with. I've been working in this field for six years, first as a practitioner and now as a consultant and researcher. 

FreePint: What will the Series bring to readers?

Chris Porter: Many information professionals face continuous challenges in identifying the true added value of information services and "selling" that value to their management.

I am looking forward to seeing examples of new, or newly-modified, services adding real value to the workflow, as well as candid accounts of instances where information that was once highly prized and paid for is now legitimately available to the researcher at little or no cost. I am particularly looking forward to forthcoming articles on the commoditisation of company data. Many of us use it, many of us historically have paid a lot to get at it - do we still need to?

Shimrit Janes: The question of "value" can be a real sticking point for information professionals, as it can be defined differently by different stakeholders, dependent on varying priorities. Do we mean monetary value? Time? Something a little more ethereal, such as "engagement" or "awareness"?

To make things even harder, when it comes to information about people news, companies drawing those links of value from a content source through to the final output isn't easy. This Series will help readers build out that chain, from identifying what value means for you, to assessing how well a vendor can help you realise that vision.  

The FreePint Topic Series "News, and Other Commodities" runs from October- December 2015.

Register your interest now, and you'll get regular email updates as the Series progresses and an Index Report from the Series when it's published at Series-end.

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